Hayes St Leger, 4th Viscount Doneraile facts for kids

Hayes St Leger, 4th Viscount Doneraile (born 1 October 1818 – died 26 August 1887) was an important Irish nobleman. He was a member of the Peerage of Ireland, which means he held a special title. From 1855 until his death, he served as an Irish representative peer in the British House of Lords. This meant he was chosen by other Irish nobles to represent them in the main Parliament in London.

Family Life

Hayes St Leger was the son of Hayes St Leger, 3rd Viscount Doneraile and Lady Charlotte Esther Bernard. On 20 August 1851, he married Mary Ann Grace Louisa Lenox-Conyngham. Her parents were George Lenox-Conyngham and Elizabeth Holmes.

Hayes and Mary Ann had a daughter named Emily Ursula Clare St Leger. She later married Bernard FitzPatrick. They also had two other children, Hayes and May, but sadly, both died when they were very young.

His Career and Roles

Hayes St Leger became the Viscount Doneraile in 1854, after his father passed away. A year later, in 1855, he was elected to be an Irish representative peer. This meant he had a seat in the British Parliament's House of Lords. He took his official promises in Westminster on 10 May 1855.

He was a member of the Conservative Party, a major political group in Britain. He was also part of the Carlton Club. Hayes St Leger did not attend Parliament very often. Instead, he often voted by proxy, meaning someone else voted on his behalf. For example, he voted for a resolution in 1857 that criticized the Second Opium War.

Besides his role in Parliament, he held several other important positions. He was the High Sheriff of County Cork in 1845. He was also a Deputy Lieutenant for County Cork. This role involved helping the Lord Lieutenant, who was the King's or Queen's representative in the county. He was an Honorary Colonel for two military groups: the North Cork Militia and the 9th Battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps.

Hayes St Leger was also very keen on fox hunting. He was the Master of Fox Hounds for the Burton Hunt in Lincolnshire, England. He also served as President of the Duhallow Hunt in Mallow, Ireland.

His Death from Rabies

On 13 January 1887, Viscount Doneraile was bitten by his pet fox, called a vixen. His coachman, Robert Barrer, was also bitten. It was later discovered that the vixen had rabies, a very serious disease.

His son-in-law, Castletown, urged Doneraile and Barrer to travel to Paris. They went to the Pasteur Institute to try a new, experimental vaccine for rabies. The famous scientist Louis Pasteur was away at first, which caused a delay. Doneraile also had some doubts about the new vaccine.

Eventually, he received two doses of the vaccine from Dr. Jacques-Joseph Grancher. Barrer, the coachman, survived the disease. However, Doneraile started feeling unwell on 22 August. He suffered from fits and confusion on 25 August and sadly died the next morning at his home, Doneraile Court.

At the time, people thought the vaccine might have had a partial effect. They believed the delay in starting the treatment, or the fact that Doneraile did not complete the full recommended course, led to its failure. Louis Pasteur himself wrote in the British Medical Journal that the vaccine didn't work because of the delay and because Doneraile only accepted a "simple treatment." Another expert, Victor Horsley, also said Doneraile "refused to go through the treatment ordered." Later stories suggest Doneraile might have stopped his treatment early because he was bored or impatient.